BJP leader claimed Sree Narayana Guru was proponent of 'Sanatana Dharma', I said that it was wrong: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 2 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected BJP's allegations that Sree Narayana Guru supported 'Sanatana Dharma,' stating that it was incorrect. He also clarified that Swami Satchidananda's decision to allow men to keep their upper garments on while entering Sree Narayana Guru temples was a positive move, and emphasized that Guru should not be used to promote 'Sanatana Dharma'.
"My statement was that Sree Narayana Guru need not be used as a proponent of 'Sanatana Dharma'...Swami Satchidananda proposed this first, he said that in Sree Narayana Guru temples, from now onwards men won't have to remove their upper garments to enter those temples. That's a good decision and I said so...a BJP leader once said that Sree Narayana Guru was a proponent of 'Sanatana Dharma' and I said that it was wrong...," said Kerala CM in clarification on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Vijayan, while addressing the Sivagiri Pilgrimage, stated that attempts to portray social reformer and saint Sree Narayana Guru as a proponent of Sanatana Dharma are nothing but the practice of caste-based Varnashrama Dharma.
"Sanatana Dharma is synonymous with or inseparable from Varnashrama Dharma, which is based on the Chaturvarna system. What does this Varnashrama Dharma uphold? It glorifies hereditary professions. But what did Sree Narayana Guru do? He called for defiance of hereditary professions. How, then, can Guru be an advocate of Sanatana Dharma?" the Kerala CM said.
"Guru's ascetic life was a constant questioning and defiance of the Chaturvarna system. How can someone who proclaimed, "One Caste, One Religion, One God for humankind," be an advocate of Sanatana Dharma, which is rooted in the confines of a single religion? Guru championed a dharma that opposed the caste system," Vijayan added.
Earlier, BJP leader V Muraleedharan called Vijayan's remarks an insult to both the faith and the Sivagiri Mutt. Speaking at the Sivagiri Mutt, Muraleedharan questioned if Vijayan would dare to make similar statements about other religions, including the Holy Quran.
Speaking to ANI, Muraleedharan said, "Pinarayi Vijayan insulted Sanatana Dharma at the holy land of Sivagiri. By doing this, the Chief Minister has insulted the Sivagiri Mutt and the Hindu community."
Muraleedharan further claimed that the content of Vijayan's speech shared at the conference implied, "Sanatana Dharma is one that should be hated. Pinarayi's statement is a continuation of Udayanidhi Stalin's statement that Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated." He also asked whether the Chief Minister would dare to make similar statements about the Holy Quran or any other faith.
"The Hindu community in Kerala faced the biggest challenge during Pinarayi's rule. Pinarayi Vijayan tried to challenge faith in Sabarimala and Thrissur Pooram," Muraleedharan said. (ANI)